NPFL club owners reject abridged format league, threaten to boycott draws

Members of the club owners of the NPFL has rejected the idea of the Interim Management committee (IMC) to set up the upcoming league season in an abridge format.

In a statement released and signed by its chairman, Barrister Isaac Danladi on Sunday, the club owners expressed their dismay at the turn abridged league format which it said is not in consonance with the resolutions of the meeting between the two parties last Wednesday.

The statement reads;

“This is to bring to your notice that we are in receipt of the above circular inviting clubs for the 2023 NPFL draws on abridged league format.

Consequently, I wish to further inform members and state categorically that this is not in consonance with the joint decision of clubs and IMC at the last meeting of Wednesday 21st Dec 2022 whereby it was agreed inter-alia that the abridged league proposed by IMC and the straight league which was overwhelmingly proposed by the clubs would be communicated to NFF by the IMC for further necessary action.

We are therefore perplexed and amazed that just few hours after the meeting, IMC came up with a circular fixing 28th December as date for draws based on abridge league format.

We wish to categorically dissociate ourselves with the circular and state firmly that clubs would not be part of the draws on 28th December 2022, neither would we participate in an abridged league.

The clubs remain resolute in our quest to have a better league that will endure, hence we cannot be part of an arrangement that will not be beneficial to football development in Nigeria.

In view of the above, a meeting of the club Owners is being proposed for 28th December 2022 in Asaba Delta state to review matters arising among other things.

Details of the meeting and other logistics will be announced soonest, please.We appreciate members for their patience and good conducts since this saga started.”

The IMC, which was set up by the Ministry of Youth and Sports after the dissolution of the League Management Company (LMC) is saddle with the responsibility of rebranding the Nigeria elite football league.

The IMC has tentatively scheduled January 8,2023 as the kick off date for the new season.